James Baldwin's Relationship With His Father Summary

Author James Baldwin recounts his bitter past regarding his rocky relationship with his father, which heavily influenced his childhood and his view on society. The essay begins with Baldwin remembering the day his father passed away and the stiff funeral accompanying it. It is evident in the first few paragraphs that Baldwin shared a poor view of his father that eventually snowballed into violent rage. At that time, the author was “inclined to be contemptuous of [his] father for the conditions of his life” (Baldwin 1). He felt as though he could not connect with his father and he blamed him for being subjugated to discrimination throughout the rest of his life. Baldwin writes about the stark differences between himself and his father; for example, he points out his father was …show more content…
Racism is not a new occurrence at this university; for example, in 2010, two white students littered the Gaines/Oldham Black Culture Center with cottons balls on the final days of Black History Month. An act of hatred that parallels the era of discrimination dating back to the 20th century. However, the most extreme incident of racism was when “Someone smeared a swastika in human feces in a dorm bathroom” (Huffington Post). People were reprimanded and punished, but nothing stopped these incidents from getting progressively worse. Instead of pacifying the situation, internet users turned to a social media app called “Yik Yak” to instigate more racist acts against University of Missouri’s black students. An anonymous user wrote, “I’m going to stand my ground tomorrow and shoot every black person I see.” This statement was a threat to the safety of African American students and the nation was in awe how hateful society could and how far one’s action could go. This behavior was learned through actions of others dating back to era of slavery